TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2016 VOLUME 106 ISSUE 16 www.UniversityStar.com
Assaults spark fear among Texas State students; Trauth responds By JeriLynn Thorpe Senior News Reporter @jerilynnthorpe Members of the Texas State community have been victims of various assaults on campus this year which has increased fear and insecurity among students. Since the beginning of 2016, there have been 27 assaults on campus ranging from homophobic to sexual to even clown related incidents. Though the number has decreased since 2015, which had a total of 45 assaults, students are still feeling uneasy. Carlos Javier Rodriguez, theater junior, said he does not feel safe on campus or in San Marcos. “I’m really disappointed in what’s been happening at Texas State,” Rodriguez said. “I fear every day that I will get assaulted or hit. I don’t want to live in that kind of fear. I don’t think that anyone would.” Rodriguez iden-
tifies as gay and Hispanic. With these two traits combined, Rodriguez said it was his parents’ worst fear for him to be a victim of assaults when he entered college. After recently learning of a male Texas State student who was attacked upon leaving the LGBTQIA bar, Stonewall Warehouse, in high heels, Rodriguez said the situation is unfair. “In a country where we literally say, ‘home of the brave, land of the free,’ how free can we be when we are scared to step out of our own home,” Rodriguez said. Some students have become anxious due to the recent election of President-elect Donald Trump. To address the safety of students from diverse backgrounds on campus, President Denise Trauth sent an email to the student body Nov. 28, stating that she holds tight to the “core mission and values” of the university and prohibits any acts of violence and un-
equal treatment. “I want to reassure all that we have taken, and will continue to take steps that allow us to maintain an academically vital, safe, and sacred space that promotes civility, dialogue, discussion, debate, and the free and unfettered exchange of ideas, opinions thoughts and theories,” Trauth said. While some assaults have been due to sexual discrimination, Texas State students have also faced the threat of clowns. In October, Bobcat Village was plagued by a person in a clown costume who assaulted a female resident. Breanna Deculus, management freshman, lives at Bobcat Village and said she finds the situation crazy. “I’m a freshman, and I’m scared to live on campus,” Deculus said. “It doesn’t feel comfortable that we are paying to live on campus. If there are people able to assault
someone in student housing, where’s the University Police (Department)? I’m going to be moving off campus where there is better security.” Rolando Belmares, University Police Department sergeant, said UPD take every report of assault very seriously. The UPD is working to increase its visibility and have recently hired extra officers in order to patrol more places at the same time. Belmares said that there are many programs and initiatives the UPD has set in place to give students a better sense of security such as Bobcat Bobbies, a safety escort service, and Krav Maga, a free self-defense class. Additionally, Belmares said that the UPD advertises to stay in well-lit areas and walk in pairs. Trauth said university officials are taking measures to decrease harmful and threatening situations on campus with enhanced
45 Reported assaults 27 Reported assaults in in 2015. 2016. police patrol, providing safety tools and resources in times of need and continuing conversation of concerns through public forums. Rodriguez said his best piece of advice for Texas State students, the LGBTQIA community and young women, is to ‘be brave,’ in the wake of these attacks. “There are certain things that are out of my hands, but there are some things that I can take control over, and it’s about picking your battles,” Ro-
driguez said. “At the end of the day, we are going to make it through this war. It’s just so important to remember.” Trauth reminds students with a hopeful endeavor that she will strive to protect and represent the voices of the Texas State community.
FOOTBALL
2016 football season nearing its end
By: Autumn Anderson Sports Editor @aaautumn_ The 2016 football season is coming to a slow end for Texas State. The Bobcats have played 11 of the 12 games for the season, and have managed to defeat only two teams on
the schedule. Texas State opened its season against Ohio University, and set a positive tone after winning 56-54 in over time. However, that promising start quickly faded. Following that win was a loss against No. 24 Arkansas and another loss against No. 6 Houston. In both of those games, the Bobcats didn’t score a single touchdown—only one field goal. Texas State hosted
Incarnate Word for its Pink Out game Oct. 1, and added the only other win the team would see this season. The Bobcats overpowered the Cardinals 48-17. After that, the season seemed to spiral downward. The latter half of the 2016 season has been nothing but low-scoring losses for the Bobcats. Texas State lost to Georgia State and Louisiana-Monroe on the road. Following that, the Bobcats returned to San Marcos for their Homecoming game—only to lose to Louisiana-Lafayette 27-3. Nothing changed after Homecoming. Texas State lost to Appalachian State, Idaho, New Mexico State and Troy. The Bob-
cats faced Troy this past weekend on Nov. 26 and took a 40-7 loss. “It’s kind of a broken record,” coach Everett Withers said in the last Texas State football luncheon. “We come out early and play well early. (We) struggle in the second quarter, get behind and can’t recover.” Texas State has one game left on its 2016 schedule. The Bobcats will host Arkansas State at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3 for Senior Day. Texas State’s losses have given the team a 0-7 conference record and a 2-9 overall record. The Bobcats are sitting dead last in the Sun Belt Conference standings after losing seven straight con-
ference games. The Bobcats’ next opponent, Arkansas State, sits in third place in the conference with a 6-1 record. If the Bobcats can win against Arkansas State, they may be able to move up to 10th place in the conference. Although this season has been struck with losses, Withers thinks it is something the team can overcome. “It’s just one of those things we’re going to have to grow up and fight through as a football team and as a program,” Withers said. Putting aside all of the hard losses, there are positive things that have come out of this season for the Bobcats. Sopho-
more running back Stedman Mayberry is leading Texas State with 602 rushing yards, averaging 52.27 per game. Mayberry has also scored five touchdowns for the Bobcats this season. Senior quarterback Tyler Jones is having a good season despite the losses. Jones has attempted 338 passes, completing 219 of them. Jones is also throwing at about 65% and has completed 11 touchdown passes. With only one game left, the Bobcats cannot turn this season around. However, the stats show student-athletes have been putting in the effort. The slate will be clean once again after Dec. 3.
SAFETY
Sanctuary Campus petition presented at biannual Round Table By Rae Glassford Assistant News Editor @rae_maybe Texas State students and faculty members participated in an open dialogue with selected university officials at the Bobcat’s United Round Table hosted by Student Government on Monday, Nov. 28. “Round Table gives students the opportunity to sit down with the administration and have their questions, comments and concerns addressed directly,” said Colton Duncan, political science junior and director of programs & marketing for student government. “It offers a service that other universities may not have. When I first got here I was very surprised at how engaged the faculty and administration are with student life, and how
much they care about the wellbeing of students.” Notable attendees included President Denise Trauth, Provost Eugene Bourgeois, Attorney for Students Shannon Fitzpatrick and Vice President for Student Affairs Joanne Smith. The event was likewise attended by university officials from Athletics, Transportation & Parking Services, Housing & Residential Life and the Student Health Center, as well as representatives from oncampus dining facilities. Round Table takes place once every semester to facilitate open dialogue between the student body and the administration. Monday night’s event distinguished itself from previous Round Tables in that many of the people in attendance arrived with the intention of addressing concerns specific to
minority groups at Texas State. “I came to follow up on a previous meeting we had with administration a few weeks ago,” said Natasha Edwards, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People at Texas State. “It was similar, but much smaller. I wanted to follow up on further dialogue.” The discussions held at President Trauth’s and Provost Bourgeois’ table were focused on issues involving minority student groups, including minority representation on campus, the frequency with which minority faculty members are hired and the recent petition to have Texas State University officially designated as a Sanctuary Campus. “I’m here on behalf of my organization, to support the petition to
make this a Sanctuary Campus,” said Julia Estrada, musical theater senior and president of the League of United Latin American Citizens. “As a Latino-serving institution devoted to diversity, it should be our objective to represent all students, including undocumented ones.” The petition itself focuses on ensuring the future of students whose college education has been provided for by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, an immigration law enacted by the Obama administration. “DACA students receive support from the national government to pursue higher education,” Estrada said. “To receive DACA status, students have to have a clean record and are fingerprinted, so universities have
a list of DACA students who go there. If the upcoming presidential administration comes after undocumented students for deportation, we want to know that the university will protect the names of those students.” Also in attendance were members of the Student Community of Progressive Empowerment, as well as Benjamin Swenson-Weiner communication studies graduate student, who wrote the first draft of the Sanctuary Campus petition. “People who are here illegally might be in danger of having their DACA status revoked by the incoming executive administration; we want to make sure those individuals are protected,” Swenson-Weiner said. “This petition calls for protecting vulnerable populations; that wording
was left vague for a reason. Protecting undocumented students could be the first step in creating a safe haven, but it won’t be the last.” The petition asks that the university refuse to release student information. However, the Sanctuary Campus designation is not a legal status, so the ultimate effectiveness of the measure has been called into question. Be that as it may, the spirit behind the petition remains relevant, Weiner said. “Coming here was a way to humanize the petition, to provide faces, to demonstrate that we’re willing to have dialogue with the administration,” Weiner said.